Setting up DNS with WDS (Wireless Distribution System)

Hi,

I need help on configuring DNS with WDS

I have managed to get the following configuration to work

(BT) Broadband >>
BT Home Hub ADSL Router >>
Wireless 802.11G with WEP 128 bit (WPA not supported by WDS) >>
Billion 7402VGP ADSL router >>
Ethernet cable >>
Laptop

This configuration allows me to access internet from laptop attached
to Billion >> WDS >> BT Home Hib >> ADSL

This is all good stuff and helps me deal with a weak transmission of
wireless signal in my house

However, to make this work I have to configure the Billion as a "DHCP
Relay agent". i.e. the laptop wired to the Billion gets its IP address
from the BT Home Hub. This is fine as long as the wireless connection
is up between the routers.

However, if the wireless connection is down between the routers - say
the BT Home Hub has failed or loses power for some reason - then I
can't get the laptop to connect to the Billion "slave" router because
it isn't running DHCP - which means the laptop can't get an IP
address. I had this situation and had to completely reset and
reconfigure the Billion to get access to the management Web pages from
my laptop. There is a console port on the back of the Billion but I
don't have a cable to access that and I guess this interface supports
command-line access - which I don't fancy using to configure the
router.

Now, I CAN configure both routers to run DHCP serving non-overlapping
address ranges. In this case, the laptop picks up its IP from the
Billion. However, it can't connect to the internet - www names are not
resolved to IP Addresses - no matter what values I put in the DNS
fields in the Billion router.

Any ideas on getting the Billion to work independently as DHCP Server
and also access the internet through the BT Home Hub?

Ta

Clive

"Clive" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:3161637b-0aab-4107-99a0-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi,
>
> I need help on configuring DNS with WDS
>
> I have managed to get the following configuration to work
>
> (BT) Broadband >>
> BT Home Hub ADSL Router >>
> Wireless 802.11G with WEP 128 bit (WPA not supported by WDS) >>
> Billion 7402VGP ADSL router >>
> Ethernet cable >>
> Laptop
>
> This configuration allows me to access internet from laptop attached
> to Billion >> WDS >> BT Home Hib >> ADSL
>
> This is all good stuff and helps me deal with a weak transmission of
> wireless signal in my house
>
> However, to make this work I have to configure the Billion as a "DHCP
> Relay agent". i.e. the laptop wired to the Billion gets its IP address
> from the BT Home Hub. This is fine as long as the wireless connection
> is up between the routers.
>
> However, if the wireless connection is down between the routers - say
> the BT Home Hub has failed or loses power for some reason - then I
> can't get the laptop to connect to the Billion "slave" router because
> it isn't running DHCP - which means the laptop can't get an IP
> address. I had this situation and had to completely reset and
> reconfigure the Billion to get access to the management Web pages from
> my laptop. There is a console port on the back of the Billion but I
> don't have a cable to access that and I guess this interface supports
> command-line access - which I don't fancy using to configure the
> router.
>
> Now, I CAN configure both routers to run DHCP serving non-overlapping
> address ranges. In this case, the laptop picks up its IP from the
> Billion. However, it can't connect to the internet - www names are not
> resolved to IP Addresses - no matter what values I put in the DNS
> fields in the Billion router.
>
> Any ideas on getting the Billion to work independently as DHCP Server
> and also access the internet through the BT Home Hub?

Configuring the Billion as the "DHCP Relay agent" is the correct way to do
this.

If the wireless link fails, or the BT hub is down, then of course you won't
get any internet connectivity from the laptop. Nothing you can do with the
Billion router will change that !!!

It might be possible to configure the Billion with a static IP address and
also configure a static address for the laptop, where both the addresses are
in the correct subnet for the BT Home Hub but outside its DHCP scope. But
if the wireless link fails, or the BT hub is down, then of course you won't
get any internet connectivity from the laptop - although you will be able to
view the Billion management pages, which may help you discover the reason
for the failure of the WDS link.

Why not run an ethernet cable between the two routers? That way you don't
have the unreliability of WDS - but you probably should then create two
separate wireless networks on widely different channels, and choose between
them as you move your laptop about.

--
Graham J

In article <3161637b-0aab-4107-99a0-
(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed) says...
> Hi,
>
> I need help on configuring DNS with WDS
>
> I have managed to get the following configuration to work
>
> (BT) Broadband >>
> BT Home Hub ADSL Router >>
> Wireless 802.11G with WEP 128 bit (WPA not supported by WDS) >>
> Billion 7402VGP ADSL router >>
> Ethernet cable >>
> Laptop
>
> This configuration allows me to access internet from laptop attached
> to Billion >> WDS >> BT Home Hib >> ADSL
>
> This is all good stuff and helps me deal with a weak transmission of
> wireless signal in my house
>
> However, to make this work I have to configure the Billion as a "DHCP
> Relay agent". i.e. the laptop wired to the Billion gets its IP address
> from the BT Home Hub. This is fine as long as the wireless connection
> is up between the routers.
>
> However, if the wireless connection is down between the routers - say
> the BT Home Hub has failed or loses power for some reason - then I
> can't get the laptop to connect to the Billion "slave" router because
> it isn't running DHCP - which means the laptop can't get an IP
> address. I had this situation and had to completely reset and
> reconfigure the Billion to get access to the management Web pages from
> my laptop. There is a console port on the back of the Billion but I
> don't have a cable to access that and I guess this interface supports
> command-line access - which I don't fancy using to configure the
> router.
>
> Now, I CAN configure both routers to run DHCP serving non-overlapping
> address ranges. In this case, the laptop picks up its IP from the
> Billion. However, it can't connect to the internet - www names are not
> resolved to IP Addresses - no matter what values I put in the DNS
> fields in the Billion router.
>
> Any ideas on getting the Billion to work independently as DHCP Server
> and also access the internet through the BT Home Hub?

You needs some homeplugs mate.
--
Regards
Jon